Pakistan media report a 'total concoction', says Centre

Wed, 06 Apr 2016 10:53:13 IST

A media report in Pakistan about the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) blaming India for the Pathankot attack was a "total concoction," government sources said on Tuesday.

According to the report, that originated in the daily Pakistan Today and was subsequently circulated by other news agencies, the JIT was preparing to submit a report that would be critical of India, including complaining of a lack of proper access to the Pathankot airbase, a lack of evidence, and even suggesting that India had "staged" the attack.

"The report in Pakistan Today is a total concoction. While in India, the JIT took onboard the detailed evidence which was shared by the NIA. Since the JIT collected evidence in accordance with a Pakistani law which applies to Pakistani citizens committing an offence abroad, the involvement of Pakistanis in the Pathankot attack is self-evident," a senior official said.

Also read: The Pathankot Paradigm

Speaking to The Hindu, another top government official also said on Tuesday that India was not going to "fall into the trap." "Let Pakistan react to the probe done by the National Investigation Agency officially, we don't want to react to media reports. There is a section in Pakistan which wants to create a web of confusion, we don't want to fall into the trap," the official said.

Both MEA and MHA officials said they had provided all the evidence required to the JIT.

"If we have given the evidence that can withstand international judicial scrutiny, then the effort should not be negated by using these gimmicks," said the official.

The official also said that they had asked the JIT whether it wanted to look at the bodies of the four terrorists killed at the airbase, and which are still being preserved at the Pathankot civil hospital, but the Pakistan team declined.

The report in Pakistan Today said the JIT had finalised its report where it said the "Indian government did not cooperate with the JIT."